


What do you see

by Moonie_21



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Fall (Hannibal)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23681731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonie_21/pseuds/Moonie_21
Summary: After the fall, Will and Hannibal have adapted to their new life pretty well, but lately something that Will thought was behind him, tormented him: the nightmares.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	What do you see

Since they fled to Cuba after the fall, with no plans, there was nothing for Will to occupy himself, so he started to dedicate his time to manual work around their new home.   
After the day spent outside, Hannibal would prepare Will’s bath, following after he’d set up their dinner ingredients. It became a sort of a ritual.   
Will was waiting for Hannibal in the bathtub; he was looking forward to the pleasure of Hannibal’s hands, massaging his skull and the base of his neck with gentle circular motions— when he was shaken by the thought.   
He took a deep breath and sank deeper in the tub; the water, with the light of dawn, seemed nearly black; he closed his eyes, languidly stretching his overworked muscles. He slipped a little lower, relaxing even more, when suddenly he felt something dragging him underwater: it was as if someone’s hand was forcing him under the surface. He took as much air in as he could, and held his breath until he did not feel the water anymore.   
When he sensed a soft breeze, he slowly opened his eyes and started to look around, recognizing his surroundings immediately. It was his stream.  
Why am I here? Will thought. He had not come here since Abigail and now he was sitting on the bank. He tried to level his pounding heart, taking a breath, two breaths, but soon he realized that he was gasping for air and the strange sensation was back; one of the hands grabbing him clenched the back of his neck. Will lost his balance, falling backwards, but another hand pulled him out of the water. Will instinctively grasped something, cold, to steady himself; he was clenching the edges of the tub with so much strength that his knuckles were turning white.  
Hannibal entered the bathroom, not expecting the sight: Will was drowning.  
He rushed, kneeling at the side of the tub, and reached for Will’s neck, bringing him out of the water. When the young man clutched at his sides and took a deep breath, the doctor tried to ground him. He gently brushed Will’s hair back and spoke:   
“Will? Will, do you hear me?”  
Will’s gaze focused and he was now fully aware. He coughed, clearing his lungs of the water he’d inhaled. Following Hannibal’s gentle motion, Will moved his head backwards, his lips trembling, “Hannibal?”  
Hannibal quickly examined him, under the older man’s gaze Will shifted a little; showing himself vulnerable made him self-conscious. Averting his eyes, Will said,  
“I’m fine. I simply hadn’t realized how tired I was.”  
Hannibal’s emotionless face studied him for a few seconds; Will can clearly see his nostrils flare: Hannibal had smelled something out of the ordinary.   
Will just waited for the man to speak.  
“Will, I do smell fear on you and it is perfectly understandable due to your almost drowning but,” he comes a little closer, burying his nose in Will’s curls, “I smell more than that, anxiety and embarrassment; almost a funny emotion in this situation. So, what are you hiding from me?”  
Will remained silent, thinking of what to say as he inhaled, and stared at his bare legs. This is not the first nightmare that he experienced in the last few weeks, but he hoped that he could avoid some old habits, because he did not want to resume the therapy with Hannibal. Their new life was going well; they were relatively safe, and Will was learning about that part of himself that he always refused, but had acknowledged definitively with their fall. Will questioned himself: why now? What has changed?  
With all these doubts in his mind, Will decided to respond to Hannibal’s question truthfully. No more secrets between them, right?  
•••  
“I... I felt something dragging me. Initially, I thought I was conscious but at some point, I realized that I was not, and surfacing from the water, I saw the stream. My stream, Hannibal,” Will can sense his distress from his voice alone, “but I didn’t have much time to reflect because the same thing that I felt before was reclaiming me.”  
“Then you awoke when I pulled you,” Hannibal asked.  
“Yes,” exhaling, Will detangled from Hannibal’s hands and curled in on himself. Sensing that the discussion was temporarily over, Hannibal stood up, departing long enough to retrieve a warm towel. Coming back, he towered over Will, extending the towel in a welcoming gesture “Come here mylimasis, I don’t want you to catch a cold.”  
While Hannibal proceeded with their dinner preparation, Will went to change.   
The dinner was quiet; Will was lost in the maze of his mind, while Hannibal simply observed him.  
They retired for a nightcap in their living room: Will sprawled himself on the sofa while the older man served his lover, and then himself. They remained in silence for a while; then, Hannibal broke the peace:  
“Correct me, if I’m wrong, but this is not the first nightmare in the last few weeks,” he swirled the amber liquid and crossed his legs.  
Will stared at him, visibly annoyed: “You’re right, Doctor. And you know it,” since you were there, he thought.  
“What were the subjects of those dreams?”  
Will thought about it for a moment, and then he answered, “For now, they appear to be all things that I know very well. Last time was my house, Winston and the woods; this time, the stream”  
Hannibal put the glass on the coffee table.  
“And what do you think they mean?”  
If a glare could kill, Will Graham’s would do a fine job. The younger man replied stiffly: “Clearly, my subconscious is trying to shed light on something; something that I thought was behind us.”  
Humming thoughtfully, Hannibal placed his hands on his lap, titling his head he said:  
“The reality that you revisit through your dreams is highly symbolic. There are pieces of your life that your psyche has symbolized to file them permanently. Adapt, evolve, become. You are in your own becoming, but to have a complete rebirth you have to bury everything that still anchors you in your past. Your past will be buried, archived, but not forgotten. Many people make this error, they think that in order to go on with their life they have to forget what they endured in the past. Do not make this mistake, Will.”  
“This is how you built your fortress.” It was not a question. They both remained in silence and Will fell asleep shortly after.  
Hannibal returned the bottle of bourbon in the cabinet and observed his lover, asleep, on the sofa. He was peaceful, still for a few minutes, and then began to writhe: frowning, shaking his body in little spurts.  
A noise of distress left Will’s lips when, with a sudden movement of his leg, he pushed the coffee table, glass tumbler shattering on the floor. The abrupt sound seemed to snap something in the younger man’s mind because he bolted on his feet with his eyes wide open; he took in his surroundings, then his vacuous gaze was fixed on Hannibal. Will’s expression morphed into one of rage.  
…

Hannibal stood still, and as he controlled his breath, he calculated what to do. Will did not seem awake, indeed, he looked obviously somnambulistic. The doctor had to carefully choose how to handle Will’s body.  
To test the ground he took an almost imperceptible step, but it was enough to stir the other man to snarl at him.  
Hunching his shoulders, Will jumped to attack and Hannibal took the hit. Hannibal contracted the muscles of his abdomen to cushion the blow as much as possible, for him and for Will’s unconscious form.  
Confused by the wall of stone that met him, Will took a small step back and Hannibal took advantage; grabbing the other man’s wrist, he twisted Will’s arm behind his back. Hissing, Will bent forward and tried to kick Hannibal but was swiftly blocked. The doctor pulled Will flush to his chest and blinded his eyes with his palm, hoping to elicit a calming response.   
“Will, the curtains are drawn over the windows and the light is dimming. You are surrounded by the comforting darkness and the calm. Will, you are safe now.”  
Will stalled, listening.  
Hannibal rested his head on Will's shoulder, his breath ragged, mingling with Will’s, and whispered: “What do you see, Will?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @radiumkind my sweet beta and savior.  
> If you want to read about the nightmare previously mentioned: http://archiveofourown.org/works/22647691  
> Let me know what you think! Thank you <3


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